Oscillation generator



April 6 ,1926.

f 1,579,895 H. C. SNOOK OSCILLATION GENERATOR Filed June a. 1922 hymn":haze/67.50004;

Patented A r. 6, 1926.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

nounn c. moon,

or sou'rrr omen, n'nw .mnsnx, ASSIGNOB 'ro wnsrnnn nmcriuc COMPANY,INCORPORATED, OI NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 01' NEW YORK.

osornna'rron emmaa'ron.

Application nled June 8, 1922. Serial ll o. 566,724.

To all whom it may concern:

' 'Be it known that I, HOMER CESNOOK, a

citizen of the United States of America,

residing at- South Orange, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in OscillationGenerators, of which the following is a-full, clear, concise, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to a method of and means for generating electricoscillations.-

Briefly described one apparatus for prac ticing the present inventioncomprises an electric discharge device having main electrodes betweenwhich an electron stream is adapted to be established and auxiliaryelectrodes between which an electron-stream may be produced andcontrolled by a tuned circuit. Some of the electrons of the auxiliarystream are permitted to discharge into the space between the mainelectrodes to set up an electrical field or charge-in space forcontrolling the main electron stream synchronously with the oscillatingcurrent flowing in the tuned circuit One object of the present inventionis the provision of means whereby-a charge in-space maybe used tocontrol the. space current flow between the electrodes of an electrondischarge device. Another object.-

is the provision of means whereby the con-,

trol charge-in-space may be caused to-vary synchronously with anoscillating current wheireby sustained oscillations may be generateThese objects and others which appear as the nature of the invention isset forth may be accomplished by means of the arrangement shown in thedrawing, the single figure of which illustrates a circuit for practicingthis invention.

In this figure the evacuated vessel 1 includes main electrodes, namely acathode 2 and an anode 3, and auxiliary electrodes, viz, a cathode 4, ananode 5 and a control element or grid 6. The anode 5 is provided withperforations 5. Heating current 'is supplied to the cathode 2 by thesource 7 and to the cathode 4 by the .source 8. Potential is supplied tothe main anode-3 by the source 9 and to the auxiliary anode 5 by thesource 10. Space current from the battery 9 flows through the coil '11which is coupled to the coil- 1 shunted y the condenser 13 to constitutea. tune frequency determining circuit. The coil 12 and .con-

denser 13 may both be adjustable as indicated by the arrows and byadjusting either the condenser or coil, or both, the constants of thetuned circuit and hence the frequency of the current generated may bechanged.

Coupled to the coil 12 is a second coil 14 which is included in theinput circuit connecting the cathode 4 and grid 6 of the auxiliarydischarge path, whereby the space current discharge to the anode 5 maybe controlled. The position of the anode Bend the voltages of thesources 10 and 9 slfould be so related, that the electrons emitted bythe cathode 4 will be attracted to the anode 5 rather than directly tothe anode 3. Some electrons emitted by the cathode 4 ,will be dischargedupon the solid portions of the anode 5, while others will pass throughthe perforations provided therein and establish an electric field in thespace between the main electrodes 2 and 3. i 7

Under operating conditions, oscillations set up in the tuned circuitwill react through the coupling 12-14 and iinpres's a fluctuatinpotential of a frequency determined by t e constants of the tunedcircuit 1213 upon the grid 6. This in turn causes the space curre tbetween the electrodes 4 and 5 and also the number of electronsdischarged from the auxiliary cathode 4 into the space between the mainelectrodes 2 and 3 to vary synchronously with this control potential; inaccordance with the oscillations generated in the tuned circuit will,therefore, be pro duced in the space path between themain electrodes tocontrol the -fiow of current therebetween and if the coupling of coils11 and 12 is such as to enable the change in current in coil 11 'toinduce an aiding electromotive force in coil 12 energy will be suppliedto the tuned circuit to maintain the flow of oscillatory current in it.A load circuit may 'be connected-to the oscillatory circuit at theterminals 15.

From the preceding description it will be apparent that a characteristicfeature of this invention resides in the use of a varyingcharge-in-space, which is caused to fluctuate synchronously withvariations reduced in a tuned circuit, to control the ow of spacecurrent between the cathode and anode of an electron discharge device. I

In passing is noted that the arranga ment described above may be used asan amplifier. By supplying the waves to be amplified to the coil 14current variations of increased amplitude will flow through the coil 11,to which a circuit of utilization ma be coupled.

lthough a particular circuit arrangement and certain specific. apparatushave been described with the object of completely and clearly disclosingthe principles of the invention, it is to be understood that i thisinvention is not to be limited to the arrangement described, but only bythe scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is.

1. A method of generating oscillations by means of an arrangementincluding an electron discharge device which comprises eselectricdischarge device, means for prod ducing a space discharge within saiddovice, means for projecting a stream of electronsinto said space;dischar e and means for controlling the intensity 0 said electronstream.

4. An oscillation generator comprising an electric dischar e device,means for producing a spacesischarge within said device, means for usingenergy from said space discharge to pro uce oscillations, means forprojecting a stream of electrons into said space discharge and means forcontrolling the intensity of said electron stream in response to theproduced oscillations.

5. An oscillation generator comprising an electric discharge device,means for producing" a space discharge within said device, an externalcircuit for said discharge, a tuned circuit coupled to said externalcircuit, means for projecting-a stream of electrons into said spacedischarge and a control circuit for said electron stream, said controlcircuit being coupled to said tuned circuit 6. An oscillation generatorcomprising an electric discharge device, means for producing an electricdischarge within the device, an external path for said discharge, atuned circuit associated with said path, means for roducing an auxiliarydischarge within said device, a control element for said auxiliarydischarge, means coupled to said tuned circuit for impressing acyclically-varying potential upon said control element and means wherebysaid first mentioned discharge is controlled solely by the fieldproduced by the auxiliary discharge.

7. An'oscillation generator comprising an electric discharge device,means for producing' a space discharge within the device, means forproducing a second space discharge within .said .device, anlcxternalcircuit for said first discharge and a control circuit for said seconddischarge path, a

tuned circuit coupled to said external cir- V cuit and said controlcircuit, and means whereby the first mentioned'discharge is controlledsolely by the field produced by said second discharge; I

8. An oscillation enerator comprising an electric discharge iivicehaving discharge electrodes and auxili' y electrodes including a controlelement, means for producing a discharge between said first mentionedelectrodes, means for producing adischarge between said auxiliaryelectrodes, a tuned circuit associated with the first mentioned 'sehargeproducing means designed to impress-an oscillating potential upon saidcontrol element and means whereby the discharge between-the firstmentioned electrodes is controlled solely by the field produced by. thedischarge between said auxiliary electrodes.

9. An oscillation generator comprising an electric discharge device, amain cathode and anode in sald device, an auxiliary cathode and anode insaid device, said auxiliary anode being perforated and the space currentpath of said first cathode and anode being at an angle to the spacecurrent path of said second cathode and. anode, an external connectionbetween said first anode and cathode, a tuned circuit associated withsaid connection, a control electrode between said second anode andcathode, means coupled to said tuned circuit for impressing a cyclicallyvarying potential upon said control electrode, and an externalconnection between said second cathode and anode.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 7th day of June A.D., 1922.

' HOMER C. SN OOK.

